There's just something about you
by Garfield94
Summary: This story is not mine.It is some one elses.He could not get it on here so I put it on here.Now for the summary.Ash likes May,and May likes Ash.But when a old friend named Dani comes along,things turn bad.May does no like the fact of Dani liking Ash.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Secret Feelings**

_It was a cool, clear starry night. A bright full moon hung in the night sky, acompanied by millions of stars._

Below this was a large, grassy field dotted with numerous colorful flowers and a few large oak trees.

May found herself gazing at the young trainer beside her rather than this beautiful setting. She, along with this boy, was still up, unlike her other male friend and he younger brother. The fact that they were asleep was confirmed by their unusually loud snoring.

The bright light from the campfire that was placed in the middle of these trainers lit up the whole area while giving it some warmth from the chilliness of the night.

May finally decided to speak rather than stare the young boy down.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got something I want to tell you," May said quietly. The young trainer, now known to us as Ash, turned and looked at May. Or, to put it more bluntly, gazed into her eyes. May took a deep breath before letting out what she had held in for so long.

"I-I love you."

At first, Ash seemed surprised, but then, a warm smile spread across his face, as well as a light blush.

"I love you too, May," he replied quietly, and began leaning toward her. May felt like leaping into the air with joy, but controlled herself and responded to Ash's actions by leaning forward also. Pretty soon, their lips met, and May felt her heart soar. She wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, deepening the kiss.

"May? Can you hear me? Wake up!" May's eyes fluttered open. "What are you doing? Trying to smother the pillow? Trust me, I've tried it, and it doesn't work." May looked down and found herself embracing a pillow tightly, like she had seemingly been doing to Ash's neck just a few minutes before. She felt her face heat up in a blush and let go of the pillow, putting it back in its place at the head of her bed. It had all been a dream. The field, the beautiful night, the kiss, everything.

"C'mon. Brock and Max are waiting for us downstairs." A boy stood over her with an urgent look on his face. May felt as if she wanted to melt just looking at him. This boy was none other than Ash Ketchum, the boy from her dreams, and the boy she secretly loved with all her heart.

Ash snapped his fingers in front of her face, snapping her out of her trance-like state. "Hello? Did you hear me? Brock and Max are waiting for us downstairs," he said. May gave him an annoyed look.

"Yes. I heard you. Now get out so I can change, would ya? I'll be ready in a few minutes," she replied, throwing the blanket off of her. Ash held up a hand and turned around, walking toward the door.

"No thanks. I'll show myself out," he called jokingly over his shoulder. May rolled her eyes but smiled a little as the young trainer walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. She climbed down the ladder of the bunk bed that she had slept on that night and turned toward the nightstand placed between the two bunk beds in the room. She unzipped a yellow pack and pulled out a red shirt, bluish-black shorts, a white skirt-looking thing and black socks. A red bandana sat beside the pack. May picked this up also. Laying them all on the bottom bunk bed to her right, she began to get ready to change. 

Ash walked back down the stairs and into the lobby of the Pokemon Center he and his friends were currently staying in. As he walked into the large, sunlit lobby, he was greeted by his friends, along with an all too familiar person standing behind them.

"Hi Ash," Brock and Max chorused as he approached them.

"Where's May?" Max asked, looking around the room for his sister.

"Oh, she's still getting ready," Ash replied. Max went wide-eyed. 

"You mean you walked in on her while she was getting dressed?!" he cried. Ash blushed heavily.

"N-no! I meant she hasn't gotten ready yet. She was still in the bed when I came in," he replied. Max seemed to relax.

"Sorry about that," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't embarrass you did I?"

"Well considering the fact that your outburst attracted the attention of everyone in the lobby, yes," Ash replied, gritting his teeth at Max.

"Hey Ketchum. How've ya been?" Ash whirled around.

"Since when do you call me by my last name?" he asked the green haired boy standing behind him.

"Meh, just felt like it," the boy replied, flicking a strand of hair out of his eyes. Ash gritted his teeth. He hated it when he did that.

"Hey guys! I'm ready!" Everyone turned to see May walking down the last bit of stairs. She stopped short when she saw the green haired boy. "Drew?" she asked, astonished.

"Yeah, it's me," the boy replied. "Figured I'd drop on by since I knew you guys were staying here. Also wanted to wish you luck in the next contest." He flipped a rose May's way. May caught it. After looking at it for a minute, her gaze shifted to Drew, then Ash.

"Um, thanks," she said.

"No problem. See you around," Drew responded, then walked off, secretly flashing Ash an evil "I'm gonna steal her from you" look. Ash held back the urge to stick his tongue out at him. He knew that would be childish.

"So, you guys ready to move out?" Brock asked, breaking the awkward silence that had formed in the group. Ash immedietly perked up. 

"Yeah! Time to go get my next Frontier Symbol!" he said, punching the air. May smiled to herself. He may have grown older, but Ash still had his cute little ways of getting excited. 

"Hi Ash, long time, no see." Everyone turned around to see a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a red tanktop with a pair of faded blue jeans along with red and white shoes. (Made her up, by the way)

The girl pranced over to Ash and took his arm. Ash seemed surprised at this, though he shouldn't have. He quickly covered up for his astonishment by saying something casual.

"Yeah, Dani, it's been a while," he said, putting on a fake smile. "Now, please let go of my arm." The girl reluctantly released Ash's arm.

"So, where were you headed off to?" she asked.

"Um, to the Battle Arena for my second Frontier Symbol," Ash replied.

"Second? Wow, I never realized you were that far already," Dani said, stepping closer to Ash.

"I only have one," Ash replied, stepping away from her. "And, we really need to get going, so I guess I'll...see ya around?" He was trying desparately to get away from her.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could travel with you and your friends," Dani replied, once again taking a step toward Ash. May gritted her teeth at this. Did Ash not see that this girl was flirting with him? 

Ash was very aware of this fact, and when Dani asked if she could travel with him, he almost shouted, "Are you crazy? I'd never let you travel with me!" But, instead, he kept quiet and tried to say a normal "No."

"Uh, um I-" The word just wouldn't come out of his mouth. Ash shot May a "I don't know what to say!" look. May didn't notice this. She was too busy staring angrily at Dani. How dare she try to take Ash away from her!

"I-I guess so." There three words broke May from her thought train immedietly.

"I guess so?!" she cried. Ash and everyone else looked at her in confusion. Realizing what she had done, May covered her mouth. "Um, I guess we should, uh, move out," Ash said. He then started leading the way out the door.

_I can't believe this!_ May thought to herself. _Ash is actually letting her travel with us? What's wrong with him?_ Dani, who was walking a few feet ahead of May, turned around and made a face at her. She then slowed her pace until she was walking side by side with her.

"I'm going to make sure Ash has no time to be alone with you whatsoever. I've already claimed him, he's mine, so back off, or you'll regret it," she said, then picked up her pace again until she was walking between Max and Ash. May's face burned with anger.

_You can't claim a person like you can a thing! Ash is a living, breathing thing, and she thinks she can claim him as her own like a toy in a store?_ She thought angrily. _Oh, you just wait, Dani. You don't have any idea what you'v got coming. You're gonna learn once and for all not to come between me and the person I love._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Forest Lockdown**

Later that day, the group settled in a large field. The sun was high in the sky by now, making the day hotter than usual. Brock had started preparing lunch about an hour before. Max was reading a book he had found in Ash's backpack at a large picnic table that was placed under a tree, shading it from the hot sun. Dani was watching Brock cook, pretending to be interested in the things he was telling her about ingredients and such.

Ash and May, however, were nowhere to be seen. The last Brock or anyone had heard from them, they were going down to the river a few miles off. Ash had wanted to get some quick training in before his big battle, and May just wanted to tag along.

Dani was getting agitated at the fact that May and Ash were all alone in another part of the woods. As far as she knew, May was probably trying to win Ash over with some flirty act or something. Finally, she spoke up.

"Um, Brock? I hate to interrupt you in the middle of your very important speech about cooking, but I'm starting to get worried about Ash and May. They've been gone over an hour. Do you think one of us should go look for them?" she asked in a fake sweet voice. Max looked over the top of the book he was reading at her.

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine. You know how Ash is. He likes to get in a lot of practice before a big battle. Once he gets started, you can expect him to be gone for a while," he said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. 

"Nobody asked you," Dani hissed at him, loud enough for him to hear, but low enough for Brock to not hear. Max stuck his tongue out at her and went back to the book.

"Well, actually, you probably should go get them. Lunch is ready, and I wouldn't want it to get cold or anything while we waited on them to get back. Besides, I think Ash has had enough practice for right now," Brock stated as he began to pour stew from a large iron pot into a few bowls that were laid out in front of him.

"Ok. Be back in a flash!" Dani said, taking off across the field toward the forest. 

"Ok Pikachu, try another Thunderbolt!" Ash's voice rang throughout the forest.

"Pikachuuuuuu!" A large flash of lightning lit up the area the young trainer and his Pokemon were in. 

"Nyaaaa!" A shrill Pokemon's voice could be heard after the flash disappeared.

"Skitty, use Blizzard!" May's voice was then heard.

Dani reached a clearing in the woods. In front of her she could see a small pink and white Pokemon sending a flurry of icy wind and snow flakes at a yellow Pokemon with a lightning bolt shaped tail. Behind each Pokemon was a trainer; Ash for the yellow Pokemon, May for the pink and white.

The Blizzard attack hit Pikachu and knocked it backwards.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu cried, landing at Ash's feet.

"You ok buddy? Can you keep going?" Ash asked it. Pikachu got back to its feet, sparks dancing around its cheeks.

"Pika!" it responded, a determined look forming on its face.

"Alright, give 'em your strongest Thunder attack!"Ash commanded. The small electric Pokemon let out a huge bolt of lightning which hit Skitty directly. Skitty collapsed to the ground, defeated.

_That's showing 'em, Ash,_ Dani thought to herself.

May returned Skitty to its Pokeball and Ash allowed Pikachu to hop onto his shoulder. He walked over to May and put a hand on her shoulder. 

"That was a great battle, May," he said, smiling at her. May returned the smile.

"Thanks," she said. Dani gritted her teeth. "I'm sure you got plenty of great practice in for your battle tomorrow," May continued.

"Yeah, and you got some in for your next contest battle," Ash replied, taking his hand off of her shoulder. May's face lit up.

"Yeah! And if I could almost beat you, think about how I could destroy Drew in the next contest battle. I'd finally be able to beat him!" she exclaimed. Ash laughed slightly.

"Yeah, that'll be the day," he remarked. May playfully nudged him. Dani finally couldn't take it any longer. She burst into the clearing, startling the young couple.

"Sorry to ruin your conversation, but Brock said he wants you back in the field for lunch. It's gonna get cold," she said in a snobby voice.

"Alright. I guess we've been out here long enough anyway," Ash said, ignoring the disgusted look Dani was giving him. "C'mon guys." He then started to lead the way back through the forest. Little did he know, it was the wrong way. 

"Ash, I think we're lost," May remarked as she and Dani followed the young boy through the forest.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think so too," Ash sighed. "Brock and Max are probably wondering where the heck we are." He turned to Dani. "You couldn't remember which way you came into the forest?" Dani gave him an annoyed look.

"No, I didn't think I'd need to! You're supposed to be the born leader, the smart one!" she answered.

"Even if I had remembered which way we came in, you should still have paid attention! And what do you mean I'm supposed to be a the smart one? Are you saying I'm stupid?" Ash yelled at her. Dani looked at him, surprised.

"No, I'd never say that about you, Ash," she responded.

"Really? 'Cause you just did!" Ash snapped at her. Dani seemed offended by the fact that Ash was yelling at her.

"I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean what I said," she said in a quiet voice. Ash, on the other hand, didn't apologize, or accept her apology. He didn't like this girl. He never had. Now, he was wishing he had told her no at the Pokemon Center.

May sensed the tension coming from Ash.

"I'm sure we'll find our way out of here eventually," she said, trying to calm him down. Ash smiled at her.

"Yeah. But it's already getting dark. We should probably set up camp for the night. It's probably no use walking around any longer," he said.

"I guess so," May said. Dani remained silent. Ash then slipped off his backpack and started digging around in it for any needed items. Once done, he only had out a sleeping bag, a flashlight and a few matches. Dani pulled a sleeping bag out of her backpack. She set it up near a large tree by itself.

Ash found a few tree branches lying around on the ground. They were the perfect size for firewood. He gathered them all together and used their rough bark to light a match. He then put the match to the bark and caught in on fire, providing light and a little warmth. He stood to his feet.

"I'm gonna go look for something for us all to eat," he stated. May's stomach let out a low growl.

"That sounds like a good idea," she said, laughing a little. "But are you sure you should go alone?" 

"I'm not gonna be alone," Ash replied. "Pikachu'll be with me." He then walked off into the darkness in search of food.

May waited for Dani to pop off a smart remark about how she was going to take Ash away from her or something like that, but she was silent. Looking across the clearing, May realized she had already fallen asleep.

_Thank goodness,_ she thought. _Now I won't have to deal with her mouth the whole time Ash is gone._

A few minutes later, Ash returned with a bunch of berries and apples.

"I guess these will have to do for now. At least until morning when we can find our way out of here," he said. He glanced up a Dani. "She's already fallen asleep?" May nodded as Ash handed her an apple. "I guess we should save her some incase she wakes up hungry," Ash said, taking a fairly large berry and handing it to Pikachu. It took it gratefully and started munching on it. Ash finally took an apple for himself. Biting into it, he noticed a bright pink flower drift by, carried by the gentle breeze that was blowing through the forest. He reached out an caught it. He had never seen this type of flower before, but it was really beautiful.

"Hey May," he said in a low voice. When the coordinator turned to face him, Ash placed the beautiful flower in her hair. May blushed slightly and looked into Ash's eyes. Ash smiled warmly at her, and at that moment, May knew that if she did decide to tell Ash how she felt, there'd be nothing to worry about. Ash had made it completely clear that he felt the same way about her, and that was enough to work up her courage. Dani was asleep anyway.

"Ash?" her voice came out in a shy whisper.

"Yeah?"

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now," May said, speaking slowly to make sure she didn't stumble upon her words. "I-I think I'm in l-love with you." To her delight, Ash didn't seem surprised in the least, but satisfied.

"Well, that's good," he said playfully. "I thought I was the only one in love." May smiled and leaned toward him. Ash responded by moving closer to her. The two countinued to draw closer to each other until their lips were inches apart. Right as they were about to connect, a loud "Ahem" sounded from across the clearing. Both turned to see Dani standing in front of them, glaring at them angrily.

"Uh..." Ash found himself at a loss for words as he felt his face heat up.

"Forget it," Dani stated, grabbing an apple and walking back over to her sleeping bag.

_I'll find a way to split them up, no doubt. May is not going to take my Ash away from me,_ she thought as she turned away from them. After she had eaten the apple, she found herself dozing off again. Pretty soon, she was asleep once more.

"Well, I guess we should probably get to sleep. We need to be up early tomorrow so we can try and find our way out of here," Ash said after a while. He stood up to walk over to his sleeping bag.

"Um, I didn't bring my pack with me," May stated.

_So that means she doesn't have a sleeping bag,_ Ash thought. It was starting to get cold as the night grew later and the wind picked up. Without hesitation, Ash unzipped his sleeping bag, forming a large blanket. He walked over to May, who was leaning up against a tree, attempting to go to sleep. He sat down beside her and put the "blanket" over both of them. Pikachu crawled under it and onto Ash's lap.

May looked at Ash, surprised as the sleeping bag rested on top of her.

"I can't let you sit over here by yourself with no sleeping bag or anything," he said, smiling at her. May returned the smile.

"Thank you, Ash," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. Ash felt his eyes grow heavy. Minutes later, he dozed off, sleeping peacefully with May next to him and Pikachu in his lap. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Dani Disaster**

"Ash? Ashy, can you hear me?" Ash opened his eyes. There in front of him stood Dani. This startled him and he almost leapt to his feet. Remembering that May was on his shoulder, he stopped himself.

After a quick yawn, he whispered, "What is it, Dani? And why did you call me 'Ashy'?"

"I thought I heard someone calling out our names, and I just felt like it," Dani replied, answering both of Ash's questions in one sentence.

"Someone's calling our names?" Ash asked. "It might be Brock and Max. We should go check it out." He looked at the sleeping girl on his shoulder. "But...I can't really move, and I don't want to wake her up."

"Oh, I can take care of that," Dani stated, smiling devilishly. "HEY MAY! WAKE UP!" A flock of Taillow flew out of the treetops, startled by Dani's yelling. May snapped awake.

"Huh? What?" she muttered, looking around.

"Someone's calling our names deeper in the woods. Get off the boy and let's go," Dani sneered, turning around and walking toward the middle of the clearing to stamp out the fire. May looked at Ash confusedly.

"What she meant is that she thought she heard someone calling out our names in the woods. We should go and check it out. You wanna come?" he said.

"Yeah. I guess so," May replied. She lifted her head from Ash's shoulder and pushed the sleeping bag off of her. She took a few minutes to stretch, then turned to Ash. He was rolling up the sleeping bag. A half asleep Pikachu sat on his shoulder, about to doze off. It was then that May realized it was still in the middle of the night.

"Alright guys - er, girls. Let's get going," Ash said, correcting himself as he said "guys". Dani was at his side immedietly. "Ok, can you remember which way you heard the shouting coming from?" Ash asked her.

"Um, no not really," Dani replied, using her sickly sweet voice. She flashed May an evil grin. May looked confused. What was she up to? 

"Well, if we have nothing to go by, we shouldn't set out at all," Ash said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. May turned to Dani.

"If you heard the shouting only minutes or seconds ago, how come you can't remember which direction they came from?" she asked. Pikachu's ears suddenly twitched, and it was wide awake.

"Pika pika!" it exclaimed, jumping off of Ash's shoulder and running into the forest.

"Pikachu, wait!" Ash called, chasing after it.

"Ash, you shouldn't run into the forest like that! You could get lost!" May shouted. Ash shouted something in reply, but it was drowned out by a loud screeching sound. May whirled around and saw the shadow of a Pokemon fly overhead. The screech occured again, and it was gone. "What was that?" she questioned, turning to Dani. "Uh...Dani?" The girl was gone. "Dani, where'd you go?" May called out. She was alone. Ash had run off into the forest after Pikachu, and Dani had went off somewhere else. 

Suddenly, the smell of burning wood entered May's nostrils. She looked around, wondering where it was coming from. A loud cracking occured, and she looked up to see a large tree falling her way. She quickly ran out of the way.

When the tree hit the ground, it was already enveloped in flames. Another tree thudded to the ground behind May. The remaining distance between the two trees in which she could escape was blocked by flames. She quickly began to feel lightheaded from the billowing smoke coming from both trees. She began to cough.

She opened her eyes for only a brief moment, and caught sight of Dani through the flames. She was smiling evily, and a Quilava stood by her side.

_It was her,_ May thought in disbelief. _She set the trees on fire, knowing they would trap me like this. I knew we had a fierce rivalry over Ash, but who knew she'd take it to such extreme measures?_

"May?" Ash's voice rang out in the quiet night air. Dani quickly turned and ran off into the forest, the darkness hiding her as she made her escape.

May was at the brink of fainting. "Ash?" she called out hoarsely.

"May! Where are you?" Ash's voice called out.

"Between the trees!" May managed to choke out. She had begun to cough violently now.

"Don't worry!" Ash yelled. He coughed a few times. Apparently, the smoke was spreading through the forest. "I'll get you out! Corphish, let's go!"

"Cor phish phish!" May heard the Pokemon's familiar voice.

"Use Bubblebeam on the flames!" Ash yelled. Before long, the first tree, the one May was facing, was no longer on fire. "Ok, return for a minute," Ash's voice stated. After a minute's struggling, he climbed over the trunk of the over turned tree, looking down at May from the top. To his relief, she had stopped coughing and was breathing normally. Her lungs were probably at least a little damaged though.

Ash carefully climbed down the other side of the tree and dropped down in front of May.

"Ash!" she cried, and leapt into his arms, embracing him tightly. "Thank you so much!" she said. A brief coughing spell came over her. Ash rubbed her back until it was over.

"How did this happen?" he asked her when she could speak again.

"It was Dani, Ash," May stated. "She set the trees on fire so they would fall and trap me."

"But, why would she do that?" Ash asked.

"Because she's in love with you and wants me out of the picture so she can be with you," May replied. Ash found this hard to believe. He then noticed the tree in front of them still burning. He threw Corphish's Pokeball into the air and ordered it to sue Bubblebeam, extinguishing the flames. After returning Corphish to its Pokeball, he turned back to May.

"What do we do now?" she asked him.

"I guess we should go back to where we were and try to get a little more sleep," he replied.

"But what about Dani," May inquired, a nervous look on her face.

"Don't worry," Ash reassured her. "I promise I won't let her hurt you." May smiled and hugged the boy once more. 

Not too long after, the couple were once again resting against a tree with Ash's sleeping bag placed over them. Ash had taken off his jacket and laid it on the ground beside him for Pikachu. The little electric Pokemon climbed in it and used it as a sort of sleeping bag, fluffing up the hood like a pillow.

May giggled as she watched Pikachu do this. She felt movement beside her and turned to see Ash placing his hat at the base of the tree, a little above Pikachu. She followed suit and took off her bandana, revealing the silky brown hair held underneath.

"Ash?" she whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder once more.

"Yeah?" Ash responded.

"Thanks again for saving me. I don't know what I'd do without you," May answered.

"Same here, May," Ash said, smiling down at her. He ran his hand through her silk-like hair. "Same here." 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: May's disappearence**

Early the next morning, Ash awoke to the sound of Pikachu calling to him. He forced his tired eyes open and looked around. Pikachu stood in front of him, jumping up and down and waving its arms around wildly. It seemed to be pointing next to Ash. Ash turned and looked beside him, where May had went to sleep the previous night. She was gone.

"What? Where'd she go?" Ash asked, jumping up and looking at Pikachu.

"Pika pika pika pi pikachu!" Pikachu cried, pointing toward the thicker part of the forest.

"You mean she just got up and walked off?" Ash asked. Pikachu shook its head.

"Pika pikachu pika pi!" it cried. 

"Kidnapped?!" Ash exclaimed. Piakchu nodded its head vigorously. Ash gritted his teeth. "We've gotta go find her!" he cried. He rolled up his sleeping bag and stuffed it in his backpack. After putting his hat on his head, he ran into the forest. Pikachu spotted his jacket lying on the ground. It grabbed it and ran after its master.

Leaping up onto his shoulder, it unzipped his backpack and put the jacket in it. It zipped it back up and turned back toward the direction Ash was running.

_"Don't worry. I promise I won't let her hurt you."_ Ash's words from the night before echoed in his mind. _I promised her that I'd protect her and keep her from harm. And now, she's been kidnapped, all because I failed to stay awake last night and watch over her. What kind of person am I?_ He thought to himself. Pikachu sensed Ash's guilt. It patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"Ash! What are you doing out here by yourself? Where's May?" Ash stopped and turned around, panting heavily.

"Dani?" he asked inbetween gasps for breath. "Where've you been all night?"

"I ran off last night to see if I could find a way out of the forest," Dani replied.

"_It was Dani, Ash. She set the trees on fire so they would fall and trap me."_ May's words went through Ash's mind.

"Really? 'Cause I was told that you set two trees on fire and trappd May last night," he said, his temper rising.

"What? Why would I do that?" Dani asked innocently, putting on her cute act.

"_Because she's in love with you and wants me out of the picture so she can be with you."_ Another one of May's sentences entered Ash's mind.

"Ok, let's just forget about that. Let's go and find her," Ash said, shaking off his urge to start a Q&A session with Dani. Dani shrugged.

"Why don't we split up?" she suggested. "We could cover a lot more ground that way." Ash thought this over.

_Actually, I could cover a lot more ground without you bothering me,_ he thought to himself.

"Sounds good."

"Alright. I'll go this way, you go that way," Dani said.

"But, I just came from that way," Ash protested.

"Just go," Dani answered. Ash mumbled something under his breath and ran back in the direction he had come from. Dani smiled evily, then ran in the opposite direction. 

A few minutes later, Ash stopped and leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest from running for so long.

"Pikachu...can you...hear anything?" he asked between breaths. Pikachu sat still, listening for any signs of life. It sadly shook its head. Ash sighed. "C'mon. Let's get going again." Pikachu nodded and ran after its trainer. 

Suddenly, a green mantis-like Pokemon jumped down in front of Ash and Pikachu.

"Scyther!" it cried, its blade-like arms gleaming from the beams of sun that shined down on them. It leapt at them.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled, acting completely out of instinct.

"Pikachuuuu!" Pikachu cried, releasing a huge bolt of electricity. The Scyther flew into the air, out of the attack's range. A Mightyena then appeared and growled menacingly.

"Where are all of these Pokemon coming from?" Ash asked himself. Out of nowhere, he felt something hit him on both shoulders, and he was on the ground in seconds. The Mightyena stood on top of him, baring its teeth. Pikachu was busy fighting the Scyther.

All of a sudden, the Mightyena lunged for Ash's shoulder. Ash put his hands on its stomach and used all of his strength to push it off of him.

"Pikachu!" he called to the Pokemon. It turned to him. "Run!" Ash called to it. The Pokemon nodded and ran over to Ash, leaping onto his shoulder. Ash then ran to a tree and climbed up to one of its middle branches. "We should be safe up here," he muttered, leaning against the trunk. The Scyther then appeared in front of him. "Or not," Ash said.

Before he could move, the Scyther lifted its blade of an arm into the air. Without any hesitation or delay, it brought it down. 

Dani walked through the forest until she came to another clearing. A struggling girl hung from a tree, captivated by a strong silk substance.

"Comfy?" Dani asked smugly.

"No! How do you think this feels?" the girl snapped at her. This girl was none other than May. Dani had taken her in the middle of the night and gotten one of her Pokemon to use its String Shot and tie her up. She was then strung to the branch of one of the many oak trees surrounding the clearing.

"That's too bad," Dani said, ignoring May's question at the end of her sentence. "I ran into Ash in the forest back there. He was looking for you. I told him to go back the other way. Otherwise he would've found you." 

"You ran into Ash?" May asked. Dani nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I think I'll backtrack and find him myself. You, there's nothing much for you to do, so you can just hang there, kay?" she replied. Then, with a smirk, she walked off.

May kicked violently in an attempt to get free.

_I can't believe Ash almost found me. Dani just had to get him to go the other way. I just hope wherever he's at, he's ok,_ she thought to herself. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4: May's disappearence Part II**

Dani walked through the forest, looking for any signs of Ash.

"Ash! Ashy!" she called out. She knew Ash hated being called 'Ashy', so she called it out in hopes that he would yell something at her in reply.

To her delight, there was a yell, but it wasn't words of any sort. It was a cry of pain, and it sounded like Ash.

_What could he have gotten himself into?_ she thought to herself. She then took off running in the direction of the scream. 

May continued to kick as she dangled from the tree. All of her Pokemon were in her pack, and her pack was back with Max and Brock.

"May? Is that you?" May recognized the voice at once.

"Drew?" she called out. The green haired coordinator appeared from behind a bunch of bushes.

"May? What are you doing up there?" he asked, a puzzled look forming on his face.

"I'll tell you later. Just get me down!" May yelled at him. Drew nodded. 

"Roselia, go!" he cried, throwing a Pokeball into the air. "Use Petal Dance on that silk!" he cried, pointing at the substance captivating May. The rose Pokemon nodded and sent out a flurry of pink rose petals at the silk. The petals cut through it, no problem. She fell to the ground with a thud.

"Sheesh, you could've at least caught me," she griped, standing to her feet. Drew shrugged innocently.

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish smile. He then recalled Roselia and walked over to her. "Where are Ash and that other girl?"

"Dani ran off to find Ash, but I don't know where he is. I thought I heard him scream a few minutes ago. We've gotta go find him!" May answered, running across the clearing and into a bunch of bushes. Drew rolled his eyes, but ran after her. 

Ash lay on the ground, clutching his right shoulder. Pikachu sat next to him, shocking any enemy Pokemon the came near.

The Scyther had brought its bladed arm down on Ash's shoulder. Surprised and unbalanced from the impact, Ash had fallen off the branch and landed hard on his back on the ground. Now, he couldn't move; he felt paralyzed.

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked him as it shocked the Mightyena away from them.

"No, I don't think I can," Ash answered. He attempted to get up, but ended up falling back to the ground with a pained grunt. "Who knew if I got hit in my shoulder my legs would be the ones damaged?" he grumbled to himself.

"Ash!" Dani's voice was then heard calling out his name. Ash turned his head and saw her running toward him, a surprisingly concerned look on her face. "What happened?" she asked, kneeling down beside him.

"Pika pika chu!" Pikachu answered for him, pointing at the Scyther and Mightyena. Dani gritted her teeth.

"Quilava, let's go!" she yelled, throwing a Pokeball into the air. "Use Flamethrower on that Scyther and Mightyena!" The Pokemon obeyed and sent a stream of fire at the two Pokemon, now standing side by side. Both took a critical hit and ran off into the forest, Mightyena whimpering and Scyther mumbling something in Pokemon language.

Dani smiled and recalled Quilava. Ash had recovered well enough to stand. 

"Ash, I've been wanting to ask you this for awhile. Why are you interested in May and not me?" Dani asked him.

"Dani, not now. We've gotta get out of here and find May," Ash responded.

"No, I'm serious. I want to know. What do you see in her that you don't see in me?" Dani prodded.

_Pretty much everything,_ Ash snapped at her in his mind. "So am I. May's safety is at stake here, and you're wanting to talk about my love life?" he said instead. Dani sighed. She was silent for a moment, then she started walking toward Ash.

She waited until her face was about an inch away from his, then said, "Why do you keep avoiding the subject? It's not like you have anything to hide, right?" Ash could feel her breath on his face as she talked. This was too close. Why was she standing so close to him?

"Uh, right," he said, backing away from her. Dani walked closer to him.

"Then why won't you tell me?" she asked. Ash eventually back into a tree, and Dani drew closer to him. She put her hands on either side of him, trapping him against the tree. She then moved closer to him and pressed her lips firmly against his. Ash's eyes widened in surprise, and he tried to break free. The pain in his shoulder increased as it rubbed against the rough bark of the tree. 

"Ash?!" May's voice rang out through the forest. Dani then broke the kiss and turned around. May and Drew were standing at the edge of the clearing.

"May, before you say or do anything-" Ash started to explain the situation to her, but May cut him off.

"Ash, I thought you said you loved me!" she yelled at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"I-I do! It wasn't me! She-I-" Ash didn't know how to explain it to her. Drew glared at Ash.

"And you said I was a bad person," he sneered. He then put his arm around May's waist and led her out of the clearing. Ash dropped to his knees. A drop of blood ran down his jacket sleeve and onto his arm, but he took no notice to this.

"Wow. She seemed upset. Wonder why?" Dani said innocently. Ash's fists clenched. He sprang to his feet and face Dani.

"How could you wonder why!? It was perfectly clear to me! Because of you, May thinks I'm a horrible person who can't live up to his promises!" he yelled at her.

"Geez, calm down. I don't see what the big deal is. Besides, it's not like you don't have other girls going gaga over you. She wasn't the only one," Dani said, running a finger along Ash's chest. Ash swatted her away.

"Yeah, but I loved _her_! May! Not Misty, not Melody, not Bianca. Her! I can't believe you would stoop so low as to ruin someone else's life just because you didn't get what you wanted. May and me were happy together, and you ruined it! Even if there ever was a chance of me liking you, even as a friend, it's gone! Long gone!" Ash yelled at her. He then fell back to his knees, panting. He had never been so angry or upset in his whole life. His blood was boiling, his heart was beating rapidly, and he had a pounding headache from his outburst. When he finally looked back up, he saw Dani running through the bushes, deeper into the forest.

A flashback of May's face when she had come into the clearing went through his mind. He felt tears well up in his eyes. 

_Wait, what am I doing? I have to go after her. Dani tricked her into thinking something happened that really didn't, and I'm just letting it happen?_ he thought to himself. He then wiped away the forming tears in his eyes with the back of his hand and got to his feet. Pikachu, who had been sitting quietly through Ash's outburst, leapt onto his head, since it didn't want to disturb his shoulder, and the young trainer took off into the forest, destined to get back the girl he loved. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5: Love hurts**

"I can't believe Ash would do that to me," May said as tears flowed from her eyes. She and Drew had found another clearing a good ways away from where Ash was.

Drew wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. She was now sitting up against him, her head partly lying on his shoulder.

"That makes two of us," Drew said. "Don't worry. I won't let him anywhere near you from now on. Ok?" May nodded weakly as tears continued to fall from her eyes. "I'm gonna guard the clearing," Drew announced, getting up and walking across to the other side. "He's not gonna get anywhere near you as long as I'm around." May smiled weakly.

"Thanks Drew," she said. 

Ash ran through the forest, looking for May and Drew. Pikachu clung to his head as he ran. It looked from left to right every now and then, hoping to catch sight of May's red bandana or Drew's bright green hair.

Ash stopped when he heard rustling in the bushes. Breathing heavily, he looked around. Drew stepped out on his left. When he saw Ash, his eyes narrowed.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he sneered.

"I came to tell May what really happened," Ash answered, straightening himself.

"Save it," Drew snapped. "We already know what happened. If you get anywhere near that girl, you're gonna regret it."

"Drew, listen to me," Ash pleaded. "I didn't kiss her. She backed me into a tree. I couldn't get away."

"Tch, yeah right," Drew said, rolling his eyes. "I'm pretty sure May doesn't want to hear any of your lies right now. Don't you think you've done enough damage for today?" A feeling of hopelessness came over Ash. How was he going to get to May with Drew guarding the clearing.

A jolt of pain came from his shoulder, and Ash's hand immedietly went to it, clasping it in an attempt to soothe the pain.

"Face it, Ash," Drew started. "May doesn't want you anymore. You lost her trust."

"But that's what I'm here for. I'm sure if I tell her what really happened, she'd believe me," Ash responded.

"If I don't believe you, what makes you think she will?" Drew snapped. He pulled out a Pokeball and threw it into the air. His Roselia appeared in front of him. He gave Ash a "What are you waiting for?" look. Ash shook his head.

"I'm not gonna battle you Drew," he said.

"And why not?" Drew asked.

"Look, just let me in, and if May tells me to leave, I will, and you won't have to worry about me anymore. I promise. Just let me talk to her," Ash said, ignoring Drew's question. Drew sighed.

"Fine," he muttered. He and Roselia stepped aside, allowing Ash to enter the clearing.

May looked up from her spot against one of many trees in the clearing. 

_I thought Drew said he'd keep Ash away from me_, she thought.

Ash approached her and knelt down in front of her. May started to get up and walk away, but he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"What do you want, traitor?" she asked coldly, wriggling her wrist out of Ash's grasp. Ash felt a stabbing pain in his chest as May said the last word. _Traitor._ Is that what she saw him as now?Ash took a deep breath before speaking.

"May, what you saw back there isn't what you think it was," he said.

"Oh really? Then what was it?" May questioned. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"May, do you really believe I would kiss Dani?" Ash asked, a hint of disgust in his voice. May almost laughed.

"No, not really. But what I saw sure seemed convincing," she stated, staring at the ground. 

"Well, it wasn't true. You haven't even heard my side of the story yet, and you're already taking Drew's side?" Ash inquired.

"Alright, what is your side of the story?" May demanded, looking up at Ash.

Ash then told her everything. About getting attacked by the Scyther and Mightyena and Dani walking toward him until her backed into a tree, then trapping him so she could kiss him. May was back to staring at the ground.

"What, you still don't believe me?" Ash asked, a lump forming in his throat. May buried her head in her arms and began crying. The sight made Ash's eyes water.

"I'm sorry Ash," May sobbed. "It's just so..so hard to believe that."

"But-" Ash stopped himself. He knew it was hopeless. If May didn't believe the full fledged story, she wouldn't believe anything. Drew had obviously filled her up with dirty lies and things about him that wasn't true.

"Fine. If you don't believe me, I guess I'll just have to live with that," he finally said. His voice cracked as tears welled up in his eyes.

Something suddenly clicked in May's mind. What was wrong with her? She knew Ash would never do anything like that to her. He didn't even like Dani.

"Ash, wait." Ash looked up. "I'm sorry. I don't know what was wrong with me. I know you'd never do anything like that. Forgive me?" May was still looking at the ground. She felt to ashamed to look Ash in the face.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Of course I do," he almost whispered to her. He then reached out and lifted May's head up, so that she was now looking at him. "I love you, May." he said, looking into her eyes. "And that's never going to change." May tried to look back at the ground as a light blush came across her face, but Ash lifted her head back up to him again. May finally decided to speak.

"Ash, I'm really sorry. I should've-" she tried to apologize, but Ash silenced her with his lips. May was a little surprised at first, but then slowly closed her eyes and kissed him back. She then worked up the courage to wrap her arms around his neck, drawing him closer to her and deepening the kiss, just like she had in her dream only a few days ago. Ash responded to her actions by putting his arm around her waist, holding her close to him.

Drew looked through the bushes to see why they had stopped talking. He gasped at what he saw. 

"Ugh! What's he have that I don't?!" he cried in dismay.

"I was wondering the same thing about May." Drew turned around.

"Hey, you're the girl that was kissing Ash earlier," he observed.

"Dani," the girl introduced herself. "And you're Drew, right?" Drew nodded. He then turned back toward the clearing. Dani sighed.

"I guess there's just something they see in each other. Something that they don't see in anyone else," she said. Drew nodded.

"Probably. Oh well. Let's get out of here. I wouldn't want to interrupt them," he said. Dani smiled.

"Sure thing," she smiled. She and Drew blushed at each other before walking out of the clearing.

**Note: This isn't the end of the story. Ash and May still have to find their way out of the forest and back to Brock and Max. We are near the end though, I'll tell you that. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6: All patched up**

Many minutes later, Ash pulled away from May. He hadn't wanted the kiss to end anymore than her, but he knew they had to get back to Brock and Max - whatever direction they were in.

May slowly opened her eyes and released Ash's neck. Ash noticed a disgusted look come across her face.

"What?" he asked. May held up her arm in front of him. Blood smeared down from a little below her wrist to her elbow. Ash blushed in embarrassment. He had forgotten that his shoulder was still bleeding. When May had wrapped her arms around his neck, the blood had smeared onto her arm.

"Where did that come from?" May pondered out loud. Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out a hankerchief.

Wiping the blood off of May's arm, he explained what happened.

"After you were kidnapped, I went out to find you and met up with Dani. She told me to go back the way I came and look for you back there. I was ambushed by a Scyther and Mightyena a few minutes afterwards, and this is the result." He showed her his bleeding shoulder.

"Oh, that looks bad," May observed. Ash shrugged as he wiped off the last of the blood from her arm. He then put the hankerchief back in his backpack, knowing the blood would dry quickly before it got on anything. He'd throw it away whenever they got back into civilization. "If it keeps bleeding like that, you could-" May eyes filled with tears at the thought. Ash suddenly let out a huge yawn.

"Maybe we should just lie down and rest for a little while," he stated. May looked tired as well. She had probably been up all night, worrying about what Dani might do to her. But, despite this, she shook her head.

"No, you can if you want. I'll be fine," she told him. Ash started to argue, but his tiredness got the best of him, and soon he was lying on the ground, fast asleep. It was almost as if he had passed out.

_Wait, he could have,_ May realized, looking down at the young boy. _Ash can't fall asleep just like that. He had to have passed out._

Pikachu had tumbled off of Ash's shoulder when he hit the ground. It now shook itself, sending dirt and bits of grass flying in different directions. It then looked at Ash with a concerned look.

"Pika pika chu pika," it said to May. She nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't have anything to bandage his shoulder with," she answered. Then it hit her. It would be a big sacrifice, but she did have something to use. After thinking about it for a minute, she removed the red bandana from her head. After untying it, she gently nudged Ash, hoping he was just asleep. Ash groaned and opened his eyes. "Um, Ash? I need you to take off your shirt for a minute," May told him, her eyes still full of tears.

"W-what?" it took a minute for what May was telling him to sink in. When it did, he blushed deeply. "Why?" he managed to ask.

"Just trust me," May responded. Ash bit his lip. He didn't really want to do what May asked, but when he caught sight of the look on her face - that determined look she got when she knew she had to do something, he gave in.

Slowly, carefully he removed his shirt. When the piece of clothing started to come off his shoulder, May heard a muffled scream come from inside of it. To stop the screaming, she took the top of the shirt that Ash held over his head and helped him pull it off.

With the shirt gone, May saw that Ash's shoulder was a whole lot worse than she thought.

"Now, why did you need me to do that?" Ash questioned, cringing from the pain in his shoulder.

"If your shoulder keeps bleeding like that, you could d-d-die," May told him, having a little difficulty with the last word.

"So, what does taking my shirt off have to do with that?" Ash asked, not catching on to what May was going to do. Instead of answering him, May took her bandana and wrapped it around the wounded shoulder. She pulled it together and tied it into a knot, forming a bandage-like material. Ash grew surprised. "Don't you-" May waved him off.

"When it comes to you, that bandana means nothing to me anymore," she told him. Ash smiled at her. 

"Thank you, May," he said. May returned the smile. She had half the mind to move forward and kiss him again. Ash felt the same about her.

"Pika pika," Pikachu said, holding Ash's shirt up.

"Uh, I don't know if I want to put that back on," Ash said, looking at the blood stained shirt. Pikachu then ran over to his backpack (it had slid off to the ground when he removed his shirt)and opened it. It pulled out Ash's blue jacket and held it out to him. Ash laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll put it on," he told it. Pikachu then stuffed the shirt into Ash's backpack.

Ash put on the jacket. Without his black and red shirt underneath, it felt a little weird. He picked up his backpack and held it in his hands. He didn't want the weight of it to be on his injured shoulder.

"C'mon," he said, turning to May. "Let's get out of here and back to Max and Brock." May nodded as she watched Pikachu scamper up Ash's arm and hop onto his head.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7: Back on the road**

Ash and May walked through the forest, searching for a possible way out. 

"Ash, I think we've already been past the tree," May stated.

"I do too, but if we go the other way, we'll just get caught up in the thickest part of the forest," Ash answered.

"That'd probably be better than walkin' around in circles," May mumbled. Ash sighed. He looked at the trail in front of him rather than argue with her. Suddenly, he saw some light up ahead.

"Look!" he cried, pointing ahead. This gesture hurt his shoulder, but he ignored it.

"Light!" May exclaimed. "Maybe that's the way out!" She then ran forward, Ash at her heels. It turned out, that really was the way out. The two soon found themselves back in the field where they had started out the day before. Brock and Max were heading toward the woods, but saw Ash and May and ran up to them instead.

"Guys! You made it out!" Brock exclaimed. Max ran up to May, who kneeled down and embraced her teary eyed brother.

"I was so worried about you, May," he sobbed.

"It's ok Max," May said softly, stroking her brother's hair. "I'm here now." Ash smiled affectionately at the pair until Brock's voice caused him to look up.

"Ash, what happened to your shoulder?"

"It's a long story," Ash responded, fingering May's old bandana between his fingers. May stood up and walked over to Ash's side.

"Yeah, a story that changed both of our lives," she smiled, taking Ash's arm. Ash returned the smile. Brock and Max stared at them in complete confusion. Ash laughed.

"C'mon," he said, walking forward. "I'll fill you in." May followed along behind him.

As the group walked down the road toward Ash's next destination, Ash told Brock and Max all about what happened in the woods. Max stopped in the middle of the trail with a disgusted look on his face.

"You and my sister like each other?!" he cried, looking up at Ash. May put her hand behind her brother's head and pushed him forward, prompting him to keep walking.

"Yes, but that's not going to change anything," she assured him. "Just the difference in emotions, that's all." She and Ash smiled at each other once again. Max made a disgusted face again.

"Ash, come on. Don't you want to get to the Battle Arena before it gets dark?" Brock asked, ruining the conversation. Ash immidietly perked up. 

"Yeah. On to my next Frontier Symbol!" he cried, punching the air. May smiled.

"I guess some things never change," she muttered.

**END**

I know that was a dumb way to end the fic, but I couldn't think of anything else. Oh well. Please R&R!


End file.
